


i'm a new soul

by xzael



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bad Flirting, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Bad Puns, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Connor is a size queen, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Connor, Post-Canon, gonna try not to talk in the tags like i usually do so i m done now, it wasn t meant to be but it became one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-05 04:23:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15162596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xzael/pseuds/xzael
Summary: new-adjectiveexisting or appearing for the first timesoul-nounprinciple of life, feeling, thought, and actions in humansand androidsConnor had been working on developing a sense of humor, hopefully one that would amuse Hank. He had analyzed the comedic styles and joke delivery that seemed to make him laugh.He also watched a lot of stand up comedy.A lot.He felt that he had the perfect situation for a joke.“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” Connor quipped, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.“It's you.” Hank slurred as he absentmindedly scratched Sumo behind his ears.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey so like i haven t even finished the game but i couldn t help myself and i needed to write something for these two  
> unbeta d we die like men  
> my one (1) friend that s a dbh fan doesn t ship these two, but i might ask her to read thru future chapters  
> that being said, please lmk if you spot an errors  
> and to clarify, one of the motifs for this story is definitions for exposition / foreshadowing. connor knows what most of the terms he researches mean, but. y know. exposition  
> title is from new soul by yael naim!

Connor had been working on developing a sense of humor, hopefully one that would amuse Hank. He had analyzed the comedic styles and joke delivery that seemed to make him laugh.

He also watched a lot of stand up comedy.

A lot.

He felt that he had the perfect situation for a joke.

“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” Connor quipped, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

“It's you.” Hank slurred as he absentmindedly scratched Sumo behind his ears.

“What?” Connor is taken aback. He was hoping for a laugh from Hank, or at least a chuckle, not him going with the joke. His LED lights up yellow, spinning for a rather long time as he processes Hank's response before finally turning blue again.

“What?” Hank stopped petting Sumo and turned his head towards Connor rather clumsily. Connor resisted the urge to scan his blood alcohol level. Hank hated when he did that. “You made a joke. I'm continuing it.” Sumo whined from the lack of attention and bounds over to Connor, who was still standing perfectly still, in shock.

“Right.” Connor took note of the fact that Hank might try to play along with his jokes in the future. He didn't even acknowledge Sumo, who gave up and went to go curl up in his bed. “So that was a good joke?”

“It was shit, Connor.”

“I have 300 more jokes in my database that could satisfy you, Lieutenant." 

"Oh, fuck off."

 

Connor had recently done a lot of reading up on gift giving. He wanted to thank Hank for being his friend and continuing to let him stay at his house. He had an income now, but it wasn't enough for an apartment. He didn't want to take the subsidy CyberLife was offering, either.

To be honest, he wasn't even sure that he'd want to live alone.

Connor did, however, have enough money to purchase a simple gift for Hank. He saw it in a store window on his way to pick up dog food for Sumo. He made sure they had Hank’s size and immediately bought it as opposed to ordering it. If he ordered it, there was the risk that Hank would get to the package before him.

He thanked the human cashier, who seemed to have looked at him a bit strangely by Connor's observations.

Connor brought the t-shirt to a gift wrapping store in the area named _Life’s Gifts_ , run by a human woman much older than Hank, most likely twice his age. She had kind eyes, and smiled at him.

“Hello, what can I do for you today, young man?” She asked, her eyes still smiling.

“Hi. I have this gift I want to get wrapped up.” He plqced the bag on the counter and slid it over to her. She pulled the t-shirt out and laughed.

“What's your name?” She inquired as she refolded the shirt and began to look around for an appropriate box.

“It's Connor.” He answered, waiting patiently with his hands crossed in front of him.

“Who's the gift for?”

“My partner, Hank.”

“Oh, how sweet! Is it an anniversary gift?” It took a few seconds for Connor to realize there was a misunderstanding.

“My apologies, I don't mean my significant other, I work for the police department, he's my-” The woman interrupted him by laughing loudly, her body shaking.

“Honey, you keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night.” She pauses. “Or whatever you androids do then. I know that look you have on your face. I may be human and you an android, but the emotions you're feeling are universal. I could go as so far as to say you're in-”

“This conversation was very invasive and unsolicited. I came here to get a gift wrapped. If I wanted an evaluation on myself, I would've ran a diagnostic test.” Connor raised his voice, an intense feeling of anger suddenly overcoming him, immediately followed by regret for his outburst. “That was very rude and unnecessary of me. I'm sorry.” He was sure his LED was cycling between all of its colors. Surprisingly, the woman smiled at him.

“I've been alive for a very long time, Connor. I am grateful for everything I have, thus the name of this very shop.” Her tone suddenly turned serious and her face hardened. “But I also have regrets. I try not to, but I will always feel in my gut that there were choices I should and shouldn't have made.”

“I don't think I quite understand what you mean.” Connor tilted his head curiously, having calmed down.

“Make sure you don't ignore your instincts. You only get one lifetime. Live it to the fullest.” She replied cryptically, at at least in Connor's opinion. She handed him the box. It was a deep navy blue, with black and white ribbon tied into a bow on top.

Unsure of what to say anymore, he paid by interfacing with her counter and leaves wordlessly.

 

Connor decided to walk to work instead of taking the bus. It would take much longer, but he had no pressing business at the station. He needed time to think about all the new information he just took in.

Emotions were very new to him. It wasn't as if he was repressing them before he went deviant, he didn't even realize he was experiencing them.

What was she referencing? A universal emotion that both humans and androids felt? His understanding was that all emotions were universal, so how was he supposed to know what she meant?

Connor decided to download new information on emotions that night.

And her last bit of advice about regrets. Regret could be interpreted as a universal emotion. He had regrets. Surely everyone did. So how was that connected to whatever emotion he was apparently exhibiting when talking about Hank?

 

Hank eyed Connor suspiciously when he finally arrived at the station.

“How the hell did I get here before you?” Hank mumbled.

“I walked.” Connor placed the box on his desk and sat down.

“You _walked?_ Why? If you didn't leave the house so early, I could've driven you here.” Hank was no longer looking at his computer screen and was now looking at Connor with…

_Concern?_

“It's alright, Lieutenant. I chose to walk. I went out to buy dog food for Sumo-” _Note to self, order dog food later, when Hank isn't around._ “-before heading to work. I thought it seemed nice outside so I walked here.” _And the bus ride from the mall to the station is too short for me to get any analysis done_.

Hank chuckled, shaking his head and shifting his focus back to his monitor.

“What is it? I didn't make any jokes. Or at least, I didn't mean to.”

“Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem so- _human_ -now.” Hank  stopped, taking a moment to compose his thoughts. “It's good. It's nice to see you loosen up.” Hank would've denied it had he asked, but Connor swore he saw the ghost of a smile on his face. “Wait, what's in the box?”

“You'll see when we get home.” He smirked.

“What the fuck?”

 

As soon as Hank unlocked the front door, he was greeted by Sumo, who let out a low bark. He walked past him, heading for the kitchen. Connor followed, setting the box down on the table. Sumo settled down at his feet.

“Do I get my big surprise now?” Hank asked sarcastically as he poured grounds into his coffee maker. Connor did a double take. He was expecting Hank to finish off the bottle of vodka he bought last week.

“Your deduction skills are rather sharp, Lieutenant. This box _is_ for you.” He replied.

“You're shitting me.”

“I am not. I conducted extensive research on methods of showing my gratitude for the kindness you've shown me and I believe that the gift I purchased you is sufficient.” Hank snorted.

“You got me a gift for being _kind?_ You sure about that?”

“100%. Well, my calculation for the probability that you'll like my gift is actually-” Connor stopped talking once he realized that Hank was untying the ribbon. He tossed it and it landed gracefully on Sumo's head. He carefully removed the lid and set it aside, then took the shirt out. His reaction was delayed, as he stared at it for a few seconds before breaking out into an uncontrollable laughing fit. It was an amusing sight to behold.

“Does that mean you like it?” Connor asked dumbly. He waited for Hank to stop laughing, which took a few minutes.

“Connor, you do know that this shirt has a double meaning, right?” Hank wiped tears from his eyes, a wide smile still on his face.

“Of course. I also conducted extensive research on humor, specifically humor that I predicted you would enjoy. The shirt refers to-”

“That's alright.” He put the shirt down and got up to pour himself a cup of coffee. “You can spare me the explanation of your findings.”

“But do you like the shirt?”

“Jesus, of course I do, Con.”

“Good.” Connor smiled to himself, which Hank saw and took a mental picture of.

 

_Wait a second._

_Con?_

con-

  1. prefix meaning “with,” “together,” and



_That doesn't seem right._

con

-noun

  1. argument or position in favor of the opposition; antonym of
  2. to lie, swindle, or



_Definitely not either of those._

“Hank?” Connor's LED had been yellow for a while.

“Yeah?” Hank sipped his coffee.

“Why did you call me _'Con?’_ I checked the common definitions of the word, and none of them made sense in the context of the sentence you said.”

“Oh. I didn't even notice that I did that.” Hank genuinely seemed stunned. “Huh. Well, I guess it's a nickname.”

nickname

  1. a term added to or used to substitute for the proper name of a person, place, thing, etc. out of ridicule, familiarity, or affection
  2. simplified version of a proper name, such as Mike instead of



_Out of affection._

_But it is Hank._

_Ridicule?_

 

Connor decided to look into that further later, along with what the woman at the shop told him.

Hank sat back down in front of him.

“Are you gonna stay up, too?” He asked Connor.

“I don't sleep.” He answered simply.

“I know that, but don't you usually go into sleep mode or whatever?”

“Yes. I suppose I will stay up as well. I have research I need to conduct.”

“For what?”

“Just to sate my curiosity. Why are you staying up, Lieutenant? Tomorrow is Saturday. We're not on duty.”

“I guess I'm doing the same.” Hank sighed deeply and chugged the rest of his coffee before continuing. “I'm looking into a bunch of incidents that I think are connected, but no one at the station believes me.”

“What are they?” Connor got up and grabbed Hank's mug to refill it. Hank sighed again.

“Someone's-and I do think it's only one person-following androids that are walking alone and cornering them into alleys to beat them up.” Connor gave Hank his freshly refilled mug and sat back down. “Thanks.”

“Have you talked to them personally?”

“Nah, no one's contacting me when these incidents are reported, since so far, none of the androids have died, but they're all pretty roughed up and in shock.” Hank sipped his coffee. “I watched some bodycam videos from the officers that came to the scene and interview clips.”

“What led you to believe there's a connection?” Connor had his elbows up on the table and leaned forward a little. Hank cleared his throat.

“All of the androids that were attacked usually took public transportation or at least a vehicle of some sort to get around, but got attacked the one time they decide to walk.” He explained, avoiding eye contact with Connor.

_Oh._

_So that's why he was concerned about my safety when he knows I can handle myself._

Connor stayed silent, nodding to Hank to let him know he can continue.

“That's basically all you need to know for now, since we're not on the case. Cases. I want to look into this further, but we're obviously not going to be let on the case.” Hank finished.

“What if we conduct our own investigations?” Connor suggested.

“As in, unofficially?”

“I suppose so.”

“Hmm. I'll see what else I can dig up and fill you in tomorrow morning. Good suggestion, Con.” Connor pretended not to feel his cheeks heat up as Thirium rushed to his face, which he assumed was the android version of blushing. Hopefully it was dark enough that Hank wouldn't notice.

_Why am I even blushing?_

“It seems that the weather tomorrow morning is going to be rather nice. Would you like to finally start the exercise regimen I've been recommending you and go on a run?” Hank took a few moments to consider his offer.

“We'll see.” Connor gave him a polite smile. He took the coffee pot and placed it on the table for Hank before heading to the living room, then abruptly stopping and turning back to face the kitchen. He had thought of a joke.

“Lieutenant?”

“Yeah?” Hank didn't bother to look up from his tablet.

“Do you know what material my shirt is made of?”

“Why are you asking me, can't you scan it?” He didn't seem to recognize the joke set up, which was good for Connor.

“It's personal trainer material.” Hank threw the box lid at him with unexpected accuracy.

“For fuck’s sake, just go do your nerdy research already.”

 

Connor sat down on the couch, right next to Sumo, the sleeping giant, and created a list of his research topics.

  * “Universal” emotion evident when talking about Hank
  * Regret
  * Nicknames out of affection
  * Nicknames out of ridicule
  * Blushing



If he knew what emotion the woman was referring to, he would read every article on it, but he had no idea. At all. He decided to file that away for future consideration.

regret

-verb

  1. to feel regret, sorrow, disappointed, or at fault for an incident, act, etc.
  2. to think back on with a sense of remorse



Connor had no regrets in regards to Hank and his relationship with him. He was honest with him, sometimes to the point of being blunt. He still didn't fully understand what the woman had said about regret, so he checked that off the list. Maybe it would make sense later.

affection

-noun

  1. fond feelings towards something or someone, e.g. love
  2. a disease or irregular state of the mind or body



Neither of those seemed to make sense in relation to nicknames.

_What were nicknames used affectionately called?_

term of endearment

-noun

  1. word or phrase used towards a person, animal, or thing for which the speaker feels affection for. can be used by a variety of people for different reasons, e.g. a parent addressing their child, a person addressing their lover, or a person addressing their friend



_Friend._

_Does Hank consider me his friend?_

Connor was satisfied with his findings, crossing that off his list and “ _nicknames out of ridicule”_ since he knew now that that wasn't Hank's intention.

cause of blushing

blushing is the reddening of one's face, triggered involuntarily. can be due to emotional stress from embarrassment, anger, or affection.

At first he thought that androids must be able to blush to seem more human, but Connor quickly realized that that doesn't make sense. Thirium is blue, while blood is red. Furthermore, CyberLife didn't have emotional responses in mind for every android’s design. He was designed to be personable, though, so maybe he was one of few models that could blush.

 _Check_.

He went through his whole list and wasn't quite sure what to do.

He quickly ordered Sumo’s specialized dog food.

He could look into the cases Hank was talking about, but decided he'd rather be briefed by Hank himself, who seemed strangely passionate about the case.

He glanced over at the lieutenant, who looked incredibly focused on his work.

Connor decided to run a diagnostic test, then went into sleep mode.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i got a beta!! it s the friend i mentioned in the last chapter s notes that doesn t ship hankcon  
> don t worry i m workin on converting her  
> luv u abby  
> anyways this chapter is longer than the first! this whole fic is gonna be longer than i anticipated tbh  
> i also changed the tags a little bit  
> s/o to my grill abby for helping me write this and keeping me inspired!

Connor opened his eyes, “waking up” from sleep mode at 6:30 am.

all systems at 100%

_Good._

He checked on Sumo, who was still asleep next to him. He got up to refill his dog bowls with food and water for when he eventually woke up. He frowned when he realized there was only enough left in the bag for three more servings. Hopefully the food he ordered would arrive today.

Connor walked into the kitchen to see if Hank would be there, passed out on the table. Thankfully, he wasn't, and was in his bedroom instead. Connor had woken Hank up in the kitchen many times, both from hangovers and just plain passing out. He did, however, leave his mug and the empty coffee pot on the table. Connor quickly washed and dried both. He instinctively started preparing a fresh pot of coffee, but decided against it, hoping Hank would be willing to go on a run.

Instead, he decided to cook a healthy breakfast for him. Hank stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later, half asleep and rubbing his eyes.

“What're you cooking? Smells great.” He yawned.

Hank was wearing the shirt Connor gave him. It fit perfectly. Actually, it was a little loose, but that was how he preferred his clothing. Connor stopped staring at Hank, who didn't even seem to notice, and shifted his attention back to the eggs he was cooking, a small, satisfied smile on his face.

“Scrambled eggs with spinach. I downloaded 50 healthy recipes after watching you eat 3 cheeseburgers and drink a medium soda within 10 minutes after me strongly advising against it." Connor stated.

“You're making me eat _healthy_?” Hank grumbled, sitting down. “And you didn't make coffee?”

“I'm not making you do anything, Lieutenant. You can choose to eat or not eat what I have prepared, and to run or not run with me after.” Connor plated the eggs and placed them on the table next to the fruit he had cut up earlier. “I hope you decide to do both. If you do, I don't recommend you drink coffee beforehand. A cup would be fine, but you normally consume several, leading the coffee to possibly act as a laxative, which-”

“Alright, I get it.” Hank picked up his fork begrudgingly. “Guess I gotta eat this. Nobody else will.” He tried the eggs with low expectations, but seemed to be pleasantly surprised. Connor knew his cooking skills were great.

“Don't forget to eat your fruit, Lieutenant.” He reminded.

“Let me enjoy my meal in peace, Connor.”

 

Hank practically inhaled the eggs and fruit. He was going to wash his own dishes, but Connor insisted that he prepare for their run instead.

“Don't you need to change too?” Hank questioned.

“Yes, but I already have outfit choices programmed for me to choose from in my wardrobe. I don't believe you have that feature. You, instead, will have to search your room for appropriate attire."

“I hate that you know that.” Hank complained as he headed to his room to do exactly what Connor predicted he had to.

Connor quickly washed and dried the dishes, then changed into his running clothes. He went into the living room for the finishing touch, tying his running shoes. He put them on and bent over to tie them.

“Connor, what the _fuck_ are you wearing?”  Hank exclaimed as he walked into the living room. Connor stood up and cleared his throat, a rather human and unnecessary action for him.

“Well, Lieutenant _,_ the results from my research show that this is the most appropriate attire for the type of physical activity we'll be doing. Do you have a problem with what I'm wearing?” He defended.

“You-you can't go out like _that!_ ” Hank stammered, gesturing with his hands wildly.

“So what should I wear?”

“Is that all you have?”

“All the clothes I purchased are of this manner. Some pairs of shorts are actually even shorter. Shall I change into those instead?” Connor tilted his head in contemplation, his LED changing to yellow. _Perhaps-_

“ _No!_ For the love of- I mean, Connor. Those shorts are already so _short_ and-are the headband and wristbands really necessary?”

“Lieutenant?” Connor inched closer and closer to Hank.

“What?” He rasped.

“Are you intimidated by me?” Connor smirked.

“Why would I be intimidated by you?” Hank furrowed his eyebrows. Connor backed up.

“I'm an android. Exercise won't wear me out. It's easy for me to encourage you to live a healthier lifestyle, but I know it's hard for you.” He replied sincerely. Hank seemed to have been taken aback.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Your impeccable physical condition makes me feel inferior.” He finally answered, shifting his posture. Connor felt as if there was more to that statement than he let on, but decided against asking about it. He wouldn't want to make Hank feel more insecure, after all.

“Are you ready to begin our run, then?’

“Yeah, let's go.”

 

“You're gonna be the death of me, Con.”

“Actually, Lieutenant, the purpose of regular exercise and clean eating is to lengthen lifespan.”

“How much further do we have to go?” Hank completely ignored Connor's statement.

“We have run 4.2 miles of the 6.0 mile route I planned out for us. That's well over half.” He informed. “Would you like some water?” He held out the water bottle he brought for Hank, who immediately snatched it away.

“You've had this all along?” He didn't seem to be too out of breath, which was good. A scan of his vitals revealed that his heart rate was elevated, which was to be expected, as the Lieutenant hadn't done this amount of exercise in a while.

“Yes. If you had been more observant, maybe you would've noticed earlier.”

“I was focused on running!”

“Which we should start doing again.” With that, Connor began to run.

“Wait for me, you asshole!”

“Oh, Lieutenant, you would be in great shape if your body could run like your mouth.” Connor cracked a smile. His half-insult, half-joke gave Hank the incentive to run faster to catch up to him, just as he had planned.

Eventually, Connor and Hank were side by side and maintained a steady pace until the former took an abrupt stop.

“Is that-”

“I'm afraid so.”

“Should we check it out?”

“It's our case now, isn't it?” Connor started heading to the crime scene, an alley that was in plain sight. “Do you think it's the same person who committed the other crimes you told me about?”

“Yeah, but it looks like they've gone further and _killed_ an android.” Hank sighed. They approached the police line, guarded by a single police officer

“Hey, this is an active crime scene-” He

was interrupted by Hank.

“Yeah, _we know._ We work with you. Homicide?” He said impatiently

“Oh. My apologies, Lieutenant. Didn't recognize you in- _different_ clothes than usual.” The police officer was horrified as soon as he realized his mistake. “And Connor. You two can go ahead.” Hank walked past the police line, but Connor lingered for a moment.

“I'm sorry about the Lieutenant’s behavior. I'm doing my best to- _keep him under control_ -is the term, I believe?” He blurted. The police officer chuckled.

“Connor, this is the best behavior I've seen Lieutenant Anderson have in the 5 years I've worked at the station. Go on ahead and catch up to him. We've been here half an hour and we know jack shit.” Connor, in shock at the indirect praise, entered the alley.

“So what have you gathered so far, Lieutenant?” He asked, looking at the body. It was an HR-400 with tanned skin and dark hair, but his hair was matted together with Thirium. His white formal button-up had been stained blue and torn open, his wiring and components exposed. It looked as if someone had beat his chest in. His dress pants were ripped at the knees, probably from tripping. Chunks were taken out of his face, and Thirium was splattered on the wall behind him.

“Looks like the other victims, but obviously with one big difference.” Hank shook his head. “You scanned him yet?”

“Not yet. I will right now.” Connor replied. The android’s name was Matthew, and he was a male Traci bot at the Eden Club for 3 years before the revolution. He was unemployed, and from the look of his clothes, was most likely on his way to a job interview. He lived in an apartment with 3 others, presumably androids, that could be informed and interviewed later. Connor relayed all the information he learned to Hank.

“All that from a scan? Jesus.” He leaned against the opposite wall of the narrow alley. “Hey, at least you haven't done that disgusting-” Hank spoke too soon, as Connor bent down to test the Thirium with his mouth. “Goddammit, Connor.”

“This is the most effective way to discover time of death, Lieutenant. None of the security cameras in the area have coverage of this alley.” Connor pointed out.

“Of course they don't.” Hank rubbed his temples with his fingers. “How long has Matthew been dead?”

“Not long. Two to two and a half hours at the most. What I don't understand is why this wasn't reported sooner.” Connor replied. “Do you have a headache? I still have some water, and a protein shake I prepared for after your run, which was obviously interrupted.”

“No, I'll be alright. I'm just, exhausted. Mentally. I don't know why it took half an hour for this to be reported, either. I bet if Matthew was human, this would've been reported immediately.”

“Unfortunately, information from the police database confirms that statement.” Hank fell silent. “Are you sure you're alright?”

“Humans are so shitty to androids.” He turned to Connor, looking him in the eyes. “I'm sorry, Con.” Connor tilted his head, confused, and his LED swirled yellow.

“Why are you apologizing Lieutenant? You've always very treated me well and with kindness.” He asked, perplexed. Hank looked away and coughed.

“We both know that's not true. I was so shitty to you in the beginning.”

“But you're not anymore. There's no need for us to dwell on the past.” Connor's LED finally returned to blue. “Shall I call the taxi now? I'll reconstruct the events that played out as best as I can and explain them to you back at the station.” It took a few moments for Hank to respond, who was still avoiding eye contact.

“I guess so. There's not much left for us to do here. Though, I'd rather drive us there myself.”

“A little exercise never hurt anyone, Lieutenant. As long as you stretch, you'll be fine.”

“There's no room to stretch in this tiny-ass alley!”

“The simple solution is to go out onto the sidewalk.” Hank laughed.

“You're hilarious, Connor.” He finally looked up, his cheeks slightly flushed. Connor conducted a quick scan of his vitals. His heart rate seemed to be slightly elevated. Strange. They'd stopped running a while ago. He decided it wasn't necessary to address, and called the taxi. He took another scan of the area, more slowly this time to take note of every detail, and reconstructed the incident as they waited for the taxi.

 

“There was no evidence to back this first part up, but it makes the most logical sense. Matthew was walking down the street, most likely being followed by his attacker, and was shoved into the alley and tripped. There was dried blood on his knuckles, so he tried to fight back at least once.” Connor was walking around to give a slight demonstration of how it all played out. “The attacker was taller than him and armed with brass knuckles. He didn't even drag him further into the alley to avoid detection, as if he either didn't care or knew no one else would care. Matthew could've gotten up and tried to choke the attacker, but got punched and fought back, which was when he ripped the skin on his knuckles. He then slid down the wall, most likely due to a strong punch from the attacker, and that's when the he began to kick Matthew while wearing steel-toed boots, which was what caused his death.”

“He was _beat_ to death? No stab wounds or gunshots?” Hank inquired, sitting in his chair.

“If he was stabbed, there'd be holes in his chest, rather than large openings, and a lot more Thirium. If he was shot, again, the wounds would look different, but the crime would also have been reported almost immediately.” Connor sat back down. “With the level of damage done to Matthew and the other androids, the attacker must have some personal grudge against androids. He overpowered all of his victims easily.”

“I'm going to go change. I keep extra clothes in my desk, then we can go talk to his roommates.” Hank got up, holding a pile of nicely folded clothes in his hands. “Connor, please tell me you have something to change into.”

“I do not. I wasn't anticipating needing to change until we got home. I don't think your clothes will fit me.”

“Here, take this sweater. Used to fit me years ago.” Hank threw a dark blue DPD sweater at Connor without looking, who obviously caught it. “Ask around for some pants. Can't help you there.” He walked off towards the bathroom, not bothering to wait for a response. Connor managed to borrow some jeans from an android officer and changed in the bathroom. He came out of the stall and was met by Hank, dressed in baggy jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a jacket identical to his usual one.

“For the love of God Connor, can you wear normal clothes for once?” He exclaimed.

“These _are_ normal clothes!” Connor shot back. “Skinny jeans are much less revealing than my shorts.”

“Let's just go to the damn apartment already.”

“Alright. I'll call another taxi to take us home so you can drive there.” Connor immediately started heading out of the bathroom. He had no idea that Hank's eyes drifted downward before quickly snapping back up as he walked away.

“Stop being a creepy old man, Hank.” He muttered to himself before leaving the bathroom.

 

“Thanks for remembering that I said earlier I'd prefer to drive.” Hank said to Connor as he started up his car.

“I've always known, Lieutenant. I took note of your preference months ago.” Connor turned to Hank, whose cheeks seemed to be flushed again. He decided that if it was a recurring issue, he'd point it out. He made sure to remember to do some research on it soon. “Would you like me to give directions to the apartment?”

“Y-Yeah.” Hank switched his focus to driving. “If you wanna play music, you can turn the radio on.”

“It's alright. I'm going to do some thinking now, so silence is preferable.” Connor also shifted his gaze forward.

“What about? The case?”

“I suppose. Other things, too.”

“Is it invasive of me to ask what things, Con?”

“Not at all. I'm going to go over all the information we've gathered about Matthew and the previous incidents in preparation for talking to his roommates. I'm also going to process my random observations from our run this morning.” He elaborated.

“You're not talking about observations you made of me, right?” Hank asked, obviously self-conscious.

“No, Lieutenant. I didn't record any information on you while we were running. I trusted that you were pushing yourself without going past your own limit.”

“So you were just _trusting_ that I wouldn't pass out?” Connor couldn't tell if Hank was joking or not.

“If your vitals were to suddenly drop or go up, I would be alerted and immediately assist you.” He revealed. “Not just if we’re running, but at any time. Also, turn left here.” Hank turned the car.

“Well that's...handy. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve, besides being a personal trainer and a GPS?” He smirked at Connor before turning back to face the road. Connor felt that familiar rush of Thirium to his face. If Hank were to turn back towards him, there was no doubt that he'd notice the blue tint to his cheeks.

“I can store terabytes of information both locally and in the cloud, and have both cell service and wi-fi almost everywhere in Detroit.”

“Does that mean I could use you as a hotspot?”

“Theoretically, yes. Turn right. We're almost there.”

“Wait, Connor, you didn't get time to review your data or whatever because I kept asking you shit.”

“It's alright. Take another right here, then a left immediately and park.” Connor directed. “Just give me a few minutes once we're parked and I should be ready to talk to Matthew’s roommates.” Hank nodded and followed Connor's directions, parking only a few spots away from the apartment.

“Uh, let me when you're ready to go.” Hank remarked as he turned the car off.

“Will do, Lieutenant.” With that, Connor began a quick review of what they knew.

There seemed to be no pattern with the _model_ of android targeted, but they were all attacked when they chose to deviate from their regular routines by walking instead of taking a car or the bus. Matthew was the first android to be killed. There were four other androids that were previously attacked, and all four were too traumatized to say much. Despite the presence of security cameras, none of them faced the alleys they were discovered in. None of the regular homeless androids or people that stayed in or near the alleys would be around for a few days after the crimes were committed, then would suddenly reappear as if they had never left. The attacker was most likely stalking the androids to know when they'd be walking alone. He was taller and stronger than all of them and used brass knuckles. He sustained some injuries from Matthew defending himself.

Analyzing the evidence from the case took much less time than Connor anticipated, so he decided to take a moment to find out why Hank's cheeks kept reddening.

flushed

-adjective

  1. a blush or rosy glow
  2. sudden rise of excitement or emotion



_A blush._

_I'm making Hank blush?_

He remembered all the instances when he caught Hank blushing, such as when he suggested he stretch on the sidewalk, and when he told Hank he remembered his preference to drive. Connor checked his saved information on the causes of blushing.

_Hank didn't seem angry, so did I embarrass him? I didn't mean to._

_I should apologize. I was just joking. Is it possible that he misinterpreted my words?_

_Or maybe he did understand that I was joking, and understood it to be because I consider him my friend, so reacted that way because he was unsure how to deal with the platonic affection. The same could go for why he blushed when I revealed the information I stored about him._

Connor was satisfied with his findings and turned to Hank, who was anxious tapping on the steering wheel.

“I believe I'm ready to go, Lieutenant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why are y all so quiet and not leaving feedback...please i love comments  
> i also have twitter and ig! i m @xzaelart on both  
> i posted some doodles of connor in those short shorts / hank s hoodie on twitter if you wanna check those out  
> i ll be redoing them soon!  
> again please leave feedback down below & kudos are vvv appreciated

**Author's Note:**

> [here s the shirt connor gave hank](https://www.cafepress.com/+,89445439?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=pla-google&utm_campaign=640265407-d-m&utm_content=27654277210-adid-93474589450&utm_term=pla-73027143490-pid-89445439&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvezZBRDkARIsADKQyPlo-N78uiCWoiwxQ9cLn-kNAkr5CW608-aqkstsF9CEdkq0b8kbWoQaAjxXEALw_wcB) if y all are curious i suggest you check it out so their conversation makes more sense
> 
> i kno i shouldn t make multi chaptered fics unless i actually have all the chapters done beforehand but i think i m actually gonna finish this one lmao (i ve abandoned all of my other multichapter fics)
> 
> just kno that if this fic doesn t get finished before july 23, then it ll lowkey highkey probably never be finished (that s when i go back to school)
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this! i came up w the idea at like 3am.
> 
> like i said i haven t even finished the game. rip
> 
> please leave feedback!!
> 
> ps. help me out y all.
> 
> the first time i played connor s chapter where he investigates the tv station i got him killed because i saved hank, so i replayed it and saved over it with me going to the rooftop and getting traumatized by interfacing w simon. 
> 
> however, when i played connor s next chapter, him and hank going to kamski s, hank got mad at me for dying
> 
> ???


End file.
